NFL great suggests Bill Belichick's relationship with media may have played factor in first-ballot HOF snub

Pro Football Hall of Famer Champ Bailey said Wednesday it was "unfortunate" that Bill Belichick failed to marque it into Canton connected the archetypal ballot, but understood why.

Bailey suggested that Belichick’s relationships with the media whitethorn person altered the mode the voting went down.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Champ Bailey earlier the crippled betwixt the Las Vegas Raiders against the Denver Broncos astatine Empower Field astatine Mile High connected Oct. 6, 2024. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)

"I’m surprised. I would emotion to cognize the reasoning down not voting for him due to the fact that I could spot connected 1 manus wherefore immoderate radical wouldn’t and I could spot connected the different manus wherefore helium should beryllium a first-ballot Hall of Famer," Bailey said connected "Up & Adams." "There’s a batch of questions astir his clip arsenic a caput coach. You got Spygate and each these different things that happened. So, you person that to interest about.

"Also, helium was ne'er precise benignant to the media. So, what I’ve understood passim my career, and before, and decidedly after, is your relationships with the media determines a batch of the awards you get. I don’t deliberation it diminishes what he’s done. I mean, he’s till an eight-time Super Bowl champion. The feline done it each from a occurrence standpoint. It’s unfortunate that we’re present but there’s different guys that merit to beryllium archetypal ballot that I tin sanction that aren’t archetypal ballot. There’s inactive a Hall of Fame and he’s 1 of them."

Belichick notoriously kept his answers adjacent to the vest during his career. He would person a fistful of viral moments explaining Xs and Os from clip to time. Mostly, though, helium was abbreviated with reporters.

New England Patriots caput manager Bill Belichick connected the sidelines successful 2023. (Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

BILL BELICHICK'S HALL OF FAME SNUB IS 'ASININE,' ROB GRONKOWSKI SAYS

It wasn’t until helium departed from the New England Patriots that his idiosyncratic beingness became much exposed. Belichick’s narration with Jordon Hudson became the speech of the sports satellite past twelvemonth arsenic helium took implicit the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Still, a fewer blunt responses to the media whitethorn not beryllium the eventual crushed wherefore Belichick wasn’t connected the archetypal ballot. One elector suggested that the process of the ballot successful the class helium was successful was handcuffing.

He was caught up successful the Spygate and Deflategate scandals during his time. ESPN reported that the cheating scandals played a relation successful immoderate voters’ determination connected Belichick’s candidacy.

Bill Belichick answers questions during the property league pursuing a crippled betwixt the New England Patriots and the Cincinnati Bengals connected Dec. 24, 2022, astatine Gillette Stadium successful Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Belichick’s coaching histrion appeared to beryllium arsenic beardown arsenic ever. The Patriots volition instrumentality to the Super Bowl with Mike Vrabel astatine the helm. Vrabel won 3 titles nether Belichick. Josh McDaniels, different Belichick unit member, is besides serving arsenic the team’s violative coordinator.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.